The UK government is considering a new system that could see disruptive or intoxicated airline passengers banned from flying with any carrier nationwide, amid rising concerns over unruly behaviour on flights.
The proposal is being developed by the Department for Transport and the Home Office in response to what officials describe as a gap in current aviation enforcement.
At present, passengers banned by one airline can still travel with another because there is no unified system for sharing information on disruptive incidents.
To address this, the government is exploring a national information-sharing scheme under which airlines would report serious cases of disruptive behaviour to a central system that would then allow other participating carriers to access the information.
To address this, the government is exploring a national information-sharing scheme. Under the proposed model, airlines would report serious cases of disruptive behaviour to a central system, which would then allow other participating carriers to access that information.
If a flagged passenger attempts to book another flight, airlines could be alerted at check-in and decide whether to allow boarding. Officials say the system would not automatically impose a flight ban, but would provide carriers with shared intelligence to support their decisions.
The proposal remains at an early stage, with officials expected to meet airline representatives later this month to discuss how it would operate in practice, including safeguards around data protection and implementation.
Industry groups have welcomed the discussions, with Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade saying airlines already take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behaviour and support stronger tools to deal with repeat offenders.